Production Line Worker

Production line workers will work in factories or assembly lines in production warehouses for the manufacturing industry, ranging from automotive plants to food and beverage processing plants to electronics plants. If you are a production line worker, you will have some clearly defined and repetitive tasks (e.g., putting together a certain car part as it comes down the assembly line). You will be working as a part of a team who has the responsibility of assembling an object or product.

Education

This job does not usually have an education requirement.

Previous Experience

Previous experience doing similar work is preferred. Although many employers prefer that you have previous experience in the same or similar area of employment setting, it is strongly encouraged that you apply anyways.

Job Duties

Receive objects or parts as they come down the assembly line (conveyer belt).

Hand-assemble parts with the use of bolts, screws, and other fasteners.

Use any hand-held tools that are necessary (e.g., screwdrivers, rivets, wrenches).

Pass your assembled product on to the next team member so they can complete their duties.

Sweep or clean your workstation.

Report any quality control issues to your supervisor.

Your employer may also ask you to carry out additional duties than those listed here.

What’s Your Scene?

This job requires that you are able to work ‘Out of the Scene’. If you are working as a production line worker, you will not be working with the public on a regular basis. However, you will be required to speak with and interact with co-workers and occasionally your supervisor.

Skills / Abilities

Manual Dexterity - This job requires the repeated and coordinated use of your arms, hands, wrists, and fingers to grasp small or large objects and to use small parts (e.g., bolts, screws) and handheld tools (e.g., rivets, wrenches, screwdrivers) to put them together.

Physical Strength -This job may require that you are physically able to hold, push, pull, lift and carry heavy items (e.g., carry a seat cushion and placing it in a car).

Attention to Detail - This job requires that you pay careful attention to what you are doing. Quality control is important for this job, so you will need to make sure that whatever you are responsible for assembling is correct and accurate, so you are producing a quality product.

Environmental Demands

Location - If you work as a production line worker, you will be working indoors. However, you may be working in an environment that is not climate-controlled and it may get hot and/or humid.

Noise Level - The noise level will usually be loud. If you are working near moving equipment (e.g., forklifts) or machinery (e.g., conveyor belts, production machinery) you will be exposed to loud noises. You may be required to wear headphones on your ears to protect your hearing.

Lighting Level - This job setting typically uses florescent lighting.

Work Hours - This job will typically be 8 to 12-hour shifts and production line workers can work during the day or at night. You will have to discuss with your employer the types of shifts you can work.

Amount of Movement - This job typically requires that you stand for long periods of time and it will involve manual labor. You will need to be able to stand, sit, walk, bend, stoop, reach, lift, and carry items for this job. For example, you may need to lift a seat cushion into a car and screw it into the car.

Cleanliness and Odors - This job setting can get dirty as you will be working with materials such as car parts or food cans. Production plants often include smells such as oil, grease, or other machinery-related smells.

Work Attire - Work attire will typically be casual clothing as you will most likely get dirt on your clothes. Some employers may give you a t-shirt/hat with a company logo on it or overalls to wear at work. They may also require that you wear personal protective equipment such as hard hats, gloves, safety vests, goggles, and steel-toed boots. If working with loud powered tools, you may be required to wear headphones on your ears to protect your hearing.

Structure and predictability - This job will typically have a higher degree of structure and predictability. This means that you will usually complete the same tasks each day and you may be able to complete these tasks in the same order each day (e.g., receiving items as they come down the assembly line and assembling them). You will probably know how long each task should take you to complete. You may work in the same areas each day, and you will probably interact with the same people each day.

What's the Pace?

Steady: In most cases, the work pace will be steady, which means that you will always have some work to do. When the work pace is steady, you are working at a level “5” on a scale of “1” (nothing to do) to “10” (extremely busy, rushed pace).

Have you taken our Interests Quiz? You can take this quiz to get suggestions about jobs that may match your general interests.